That’s the overriding message The Free Press heard during a 600-km road trip through Southwestern Ontario’s heartland as Ontario Liberals get set to choose a new leader and premier this weekend.

The 10-riding region is largely an ocean of Tory blue, with a two-seat Liberal island. Little wonder some residents feel they’re afterthoughts to Queen’s Park policies on wind turbines, education, job creation and other issues.

We hit the road with the question: If you had one message for Ontario’s new leader, what would it be? Here are some of their answers.

DEBORA VAN BRENK

Distance travelled: 345 km

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RIDING: Elgin-Middlesex-London

PARTY LEANINGS: Tory blue now, but has voted Liberal, Independent and New Democrat

ISSUES: Hard-hit by about 5,000 job losses, including closing of Ford assembly plant and other manufacturers. Trying to buoy its fortunes with tourism, wind turbine construction.

Don Harvie, Talbotville

The back road in front of Don Harvie’s place is as quiet now as the Ford plant he can see from the hobby farm where he lives with daughter and son-in-law, Sheri and Scott Houston. Scott retired from the plant as it closed but many others remain unemployed or commute to the Oakville plant. Harvie, retired from construction work, says the province needs a leader more like the bland but decisive Bill Davis (premier, 1971-1985). “There are a lot of people wanting jobs but not a whole lot of jobs,” Harvie says. “If the premier was here today, I would discuss the amount of people out of work and the amount of people looking for work.”

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RIDING: Chatham-Kent-Essex

PARTY LEANINGS: Strong Liberal loyalties, even against a Tory tide, but voted Conservative last time.

A power struggle — its source, availability and cost — is frustrating Glassford in his plans to add a dryer and storage facility to his corn-growing operation. A line of turbines starts just south of the Agris co-op where he’s parked himself to check out grain trends, but somehow it’s still too expensive to get sufficient, reliable power to his farm a few kilometres north. “Energy is what this all revolves around. How to generate it, how to distribute it and how to make sure we make best use of it. We need equitable distribution of energy within the province so that all people have access to it, and access to it within a reasonable price level.”

Katie Veinot, Dealtown

Swimming at a pool in Blenheim with her toddler son, she hopes that by the time young Victor starts school, the teacher/province fight will be long done. Her message to the premier: “(Teachers) should be treated well because it’s important for our future,” she says, tapping her son’s shoulder. But the future also includes being fair to taxpayers, who might not have jobs or who have jobs without a benefits package, she says. The family moved to the area in August, her husband working on wind turbines — an example of the jobs that can be created through green energy production.

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RIDING: Sarnia-Lambton

PARTY LEANINGS: Has a Conservative MPP now but the riding has been known to vote against the provincial tide.

She and her husband are retired farmers and lifelong rural residents. In a community with a combined restaurant, beer and liquor store, video/variety store and gas station, they’re troubled that decisions with deep impact on rural Ontario are being made by urbanites. “We’re country people to them. But we’re not country bumpkins and I don’t suppose they think we matter.” The new premier needs to remember everyone needs health, education and business options. “Pay more attention to what we’re doing and to what we’re trying to do. Listen. Don’t be talking all the time.”

Charles Fairbank, Petrolia

Owner of a 140-year-old specialty hardware shop and the fourth-generation operator of the world’s oldest oil-producing wells, Fairbank is irked by the small-picture thinking of big-city politicians. That includes transportation, waste management, health care and the horse-racing industry, “It’s an urban mentality that’s too far away from our rural roots.” His message to a new premier: “Grow the country.”

Jean-Guy LePage, Wyoming

Wind turbines are the big issue, with hundreds either planned or built within half-hour drive of his home. “I don’t think it’s working, the windmills. I think it’s bad for the health. It devalues your property.”

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RIDING: Lambton-Kent-Middlesex

PARTY LEANINGS: Conservative now, but historical voting preferences all over the map.

ISSUES: With no community populations larger than 14,000, this is one of the largest ridings in region. Wind turbines, farm policy and education dominate political landscape.

Christopher Thorne, Kerwood

He’s baking tea biscuits for his two children as they return early from school. His daughter, having had to forgo her favourite school sports, is worried about the fate of her Grade 8 graduation party and school trip. Meanwhile, Thorne’s anxiety grows about a wind turbine that will soon sprout in the cornfield behind their country kitchen. To the soft-spoken Thorne, both issues have a common theme: his children. “This is my backyard and we bought this house to bring our kids up in a safe area.” McGuinty forced turbines on rural residents and will leave before he sees their impact; he imposed a teacher contract and then left parents, kids and teachers to sort it all out. “I think he came in and made a mess and then walked away with his tail between his legs.”

Phil Patterson, Strathroy

Gardenia Restaurant is the unofficial gathering spot for town pundits and local and visiting politicians. Patterson, the cook here, rarely gets to speak his mind but he wonders why none of the politicians seem to bring spending under control. “The onus is on the people to bail out (politicians’) bad decisions.” He’s annoyed that wind turbines have been forced upon surrounding communities despite neighbours’ objections.

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RIDING: London North Centre

PARTY LEANINGS: Liberal Deb Matthews is Health Minister

ISSUES: Health care and education. New housing and schools in north corridor as well as Western University and two hospitals.

David MacDonald

A new father, MacDonald was astonished when his wife and baby daughter were sent home as early as they were. “I felt that my wife was shuffled through the system. My question would be, are we as Canadians accepting ‘free’ health care with the idea that health care becomes worse? Does it make sense to cut health care in a system that’s ever-expanding?”

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RIDING: London West

PARTY LEANINGS: Liberal, with Chris Bentley the Energy Minister

ISSUES: Education, jobs. Another high-growth residential area, both in north and west parts of riding.

Jeff Elliott

Elliott is skeptical about who exactly benefits from the premier’s slogan, “Putting Kids First.” From waiting lists for day-care spaces to the cancellation of after-school activities, “I just feel that my kids and other kids are pawns in all of this.” Both he and his wife work full-time, with little of the job security teachers have. “I would love it if the Ontario government made teaching an essential service. It would help the parents sleep better at night.”

Concetto Petitta

Job No. 1 is job creation, the retired heavy equipment operator says. “We live in one of the best countries in the world and there shouldn’t be people out of a job.” People with jobs buy houses, spend money, keep their neighbours employed and keep the economy churning. A buy-Ontario policy should be a priority, he says, lamenting the impact of free trade with the U.S. When Petitta first arrived from Italy as a 20-year-old, he worked at a car wash for $30 a week. Now he wonders what’s in store for his grandchildren. From premiers Rae to Harris to McGuinty, “We’ve gone from bad to worst.”

Nathan Brown

Although he works in Strathroy, his home base is in London where, he says, health care is a festering issue. A couple of co-workers need medical scans — “big things, like MRIs” — and face long waits to see specialists, much less diagnostic tests. “They say it could be an eight-month wait time.”

BRENT BOLES

Distance travelled: 259 km

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RIDING: Oxford

PARTY LEANINGS: As blue as they come, Conservatives have won every provincial election here since the riding was created in 1999.

ISSUES: Oxford is home to many of the province’s race horses. The racing industry is in the midst of reworking a financial agreement with the province but tracks could close if millions of dollars are cut.

Dave Cain, Norwich

After Cain retired, he hoped to spend time with his five racehorses. But the sport’s uncertain future meant he’s had to sell three. “I had to get rid of them. We can’t afford to go on with the horses if we don’t know if we’re going to have any horseracing,” he says. He worries that if tracks close, more than just the horse owners will be out of jobs. He says it could also hurt blacksmiths, vets and those in the feed business. “It’s like dropping a pebble into a pond — it just spreads out.”

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Riding: Perth–Wellington

PARTY LEANINGS: There have only been two elections since the riding was founded in 2003. It’s Conservative now, but the first election went Liberal.

ISSUES: St. Marys, Stratford, Minto and Mapleton all fall within Perth–Wellington’s boundaries. The towns are full of independent businesses, and soaring hydro expenses have put an extra strain on small business owners.

Ron Cottrell, St. Marys

Cottrell has chocolate on his apron, which is just one of the perils of owning The Chocolate Factory. But making the sweets requires more than getting your hands dirty — it also means using a fair bit of electricity. “We’ve noticed a sizable increase in our hydro bills,” Cottrell says. He says small-town businesses already fight to keep customers from heading into nearby cities and rising expenses are an added strain. He hopes a new premier could bring relief from the rising costs. “Take another look at how much the whole green energy thing is going to be costing consumers and business people.”

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RIDING: Huron–Bruce

PARTY LEANINGS: A Conservative win in 2011 turned the tide after two Liberal victories, but Huron-Bruce was blue in the late 90s, too.

ISSUES: Wind farms have been sprouting up across Southwestern Ontario, and Huron–Bruce is no different. The turbines are championed for their clean energy but have caused debate as many worry about their effects on property values, health and scenery.

Steve Olley, Zurich

Huron–Bruce envelops kilometres of Lake Huron’s scenic shores, but the beautiful horizon might soon be dotted with energy-producing turbines. “Many of the local people think that it’s going to completely destroy the beauty of our area,” says Olley. “I would say the population is pretty split as to if this is a good thing or not.” While he worries the wind farms could wreck the area’s natural beauty, he recognizes the importance of green energy. He says he hopes a new premier will still put up new turbines — just somewhere else. “Find areas that maybe not so many people live in, you know? Not so many people would be affected by what you’re going to do.”

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RIDING: London–Fanshawe

PARTY LEANINGS: The riding went NDP in 2011 after Liberal wins in the two previous elections.

ISSUES: London has roughly an 8.6% unemployment rate, but few areas of the city have been hit harder than London–Fanshawe. In 2012, Caterpillar Inc. closed the EMD plant in the east end, putting 675 people out of work.

Cecil Merriam, London

For 27 years, Cecil Merriam worked for a local manufacturer. But when the company left London, he was left scrambling to support his family, and he’s not alone. “All over, the big issue would be jobs. People have lost the jobs they’ve had for decades and (are) trying to support their families,” he says. Merriam has since opened The Game Chamber, a shop that specializes in board games, card games and role-playing games. His business started with the help of government initiatives and he hopes the province will give more aid to new businesses. “If they can support the small businesses instead of them getting beaten up by the big guys, it will give us a chance.”